College Azimuth

Career outcomes brief

Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Career Outcomes & Earnings

Updated

How much do LSU graduates earn?

The reported median is $66,893 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $65,610 as its benchmark; the difference is $1,283 per year.

Among nonprofit four-year institutions, Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College sits in the 72nd percentile for return. The university ranks in the 54th percentile for earnings beyond expectations.

Completers earn about $169 less than expects for similar students, effectively at the expected level. Of that gap, the model attributes $11,853 to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market), a share that adds to expected earnings.

The model attributes $12,022 to a remainder it does not explain, which subtracts. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $2,116.

Median earnings of $66,893 four years after completion place the university in the 70th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Against comparable institutions (same type and size), that figure runs above the peer median of $65,610 by $1,283.

Earnings scenarios estimated from the program mix show a wide range: $47,915 on the downside and $93,470 on the upside, with $66,893 as the typical scenario. These are scenarios, not observed groups of graduates.

At the higher end, Chemical Engineering graduates earn a median of $114,226 four years after completion, from 82 degrees awarded a year. Computer Engineering follows at $106,897, and Construction Management, a larger program at 232 degrees, reports $91,660.

The spread between the downside scenario and the highest-earning programs shows how much the field of study can shift the earnings picture.

An estimated 30.0% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure derived from the university's program mix rather than observed enrollment. Because four-year earnings figures capture only those working and not enrolled, this estimate indicates that a sizable portion of completers may be building additional human capital outside the earnings snapshot.

Median earnings · four years after completion
$66,893
Rank for difference from expectations
54th percentile
Four-year median earnings against two benchmarks
LSU reported median
$66,893
Peer schools comparable schools · $1,283 below LSU
$65,610
Model expectation what similar students would be expected to earn · $169 above LSU
$67,062

School and program earnings use pooled 2017–18 and 2018–19 completion cohorts, measured in 2022 and 2023 and expressed in 2024 dollars. How the model works.

How could earnings differ from the median?

The planning scenarios range from $47,915 to $93,470, around the reported median of $66,893. Compare the lower scenario with LSU borrowing and monthly payments to see how a smaller income could change your plan.

Modeled from the school’s program mix; not salary percentiles or a forecast for one graduate.

Earnings four years after completion
Planning rangeReported median
Lower estimate
$47,915
Median · reported
$66,893
Higher estimate
$93,470

Downside shows a lower-earning scenario based on the college’s mix of programs; upside shows a higher-earning scenario. Typical is the school’s reported median four years after completion. These are planning scenarios, not a forecast of your salary or percentiles of individual graduates.

Why the downside matters explores the risk hidden by medians, using older ten-year entrant data. Read about the move to four-year earnings.

Do LSU graduates earn more than expected?

Azimuth models what we would expect graduates to earn based on who the college enrolls, how selective it is and its local economy. The difference between that expectation and reported earnings is what Azimuth calls value added.

LSU graduates’ reported earnings are $169 below that expectation, the 54th percentile for this measure. Unlike a peer comparison, it adjusts for who enrolls.

The breakdown separates the contribution attributed to observed factors from the remaining difference. Neither component establishes how much attending LSU caused a student to earn. Read how expected earnings are estimated.

What explains value-added earnings?
Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.
+$11,853
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.
-$12,022
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.
-$169

These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

Which fields at LSU report the highest earnings?

Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College fields 42 nationally ranked bachelor's programs, led by Chemical Engineering at #9 with 82 degrees awarded and median earnings of $114,226 four years after completion. Interior Architecture ranks #9 nationally, with median earnings of $58,518 on 35 degrees awarded.

Among the largest programs, the spread is wide. Subject-Area Teacher Education awards 366 degrees, ranks #11 nationally, and shows median earnings of $61,045.

Biology follows with 334 degrees awarded, a national rank of #178, and median earnings of $56,019. Communication and Media Studies awards 333 degrees, ranks #102 nationally, and reaches $55,245.

Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College offers 42 ranked bachelor's programs, with 48 programs reporting earnings data. The largest program, Subject-Area Teacher Education, awarded 366 degrees and ranks #11 nationally, with a median of $61,045 four years after completion.

Construction Management ranks #10 nationally, with 232 degrees awarded and median earnings of $91,660. Petroleum Engineering ranks #9 nationally, with 45 degrees awarded and median earnings of $103,421.

Interior Architecture ranks #9 nationally, with 35 degrees awarded and median earnings of $58,518. Subject-Area Teacher Education rounds out the top-ranked programs at #11 nationally, with 366 degrees awarded and median earnings of $61,045.

Highest reported four-year program earnings
Chemical Engineering
$114,226
Computer Engineering
$106,897
Petroleum Engineering
$103,421
Mechanical Engineering
$99,975
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering
$97,208
Finance and Financial Management Services
$95,302
Industrial Engineering
$94,748
Construction Management
$91,660

Explore LSU program cohorts and field ranks for more context.

Further analysis

Earnings scenarios grounded in the university's program mix show how earnings vary by field: a downside of $47,915, a typical outcome of $66,893, and an upside reaching $93,470. Among the largest programs, Construction Management graduates earn a median of $91,660 four years after completion, while Communication and Media Studies sits at $55,245.

Four years after completion, Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College graduates in the earnings cohort of 4,835 federally aided completers earn a median of $66,893. That places the university in the 70th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The median is above the $65,610 median at comparable institutions (same type and size) by $1,283. Graduates earn about $169 less than the model expects for similar students, effectively at the expected level.

Earnings scenarios, which reflect the university's program mix, show a typical outcome of $66,893, a downside of $47,915, and an upside of $93,470. An estimated 30.0% of programs' graduates continue to graduate study, a share derived from the program mix rather than observed enrollment.

Data & methodology

Sources and reporting periods: methodology.

Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.

Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.

Figure notes link to sources and limitations. About College Azimuth.